A Dawn of Strength Read online

  “It will be a bloodbath,” Julisse said, apprehension in her voice.

  “And long awaited,” Isolde said. “But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. If the rite fails, we will be back to square one—and this time without Lilith. We’ve got only one shot at this. Failing is not an option.”

  As the conversation trailed off, my stomach was in knots. Although much of what they were saying was a mystery to me, I understood enough for their words to terrify me.

  Chapter 8: Sofia

  Sitting with Derek in the mountain cabin Kiev and Mona were staying in temporarily, I found my jaw was on the floor as they recounted all that had happened since leaving the island. But almost more than the witches’ deceit, I was shocked at what Kiev had been willing to sacrifice to reclaim Mona. I knew Kiev loved her, but I hadn’t understood the extent of that love until today.

  As our conversation came to a close, we watched as Mona applied a strong-smelling ointment around his closed wound.

  “Will you be able to replace Kiev’s arm?” I asked.

  “Even my magic has limitations,” Mona replied, grimacing. “Kiev’s arm is still trapped somewhere at the base of the Adriuses’ palace in The Sanctuary—that’s if Hagatha hasn’t devoured it already. The most we can do is fix Kiev up with a prosthetic arm.”

  Once Mona was finished with him, Kiev stood up from his armchair and walked over to the window, stretching out his remaining arm and rolling his neck. I was surprised by how nonchalant his attitude was to the whole affair of his missing arm. He seemed almost disinterested.

  Mona shot a worried glance his way. “How are you feeling, Kiev?” she asked.

  He turned around and walked over to her. Lifting her chin upward, he planted a kiss on her lips.

  “I’m fine,” he said.

  I almost jumped as a banging sounded at the door. Since I was closest to it, I stood up to answer it. My voice caught in my throat at the sight on the doorstep.

  Standing next to my daughter and Caleb were Vivienne and Xavier. I stared at them, blinking. They looked so different with their sun-kissed skin and glowing complexions.

  “What are you doing here?” I gasped.

  Derek shot to his feet and pulled the door open wider behind me. His breath hitched as he stared at his sister and brother-in-law.

  “Vivienne!”

  She rushed forward and flung herself into her brother’s arms. They entered the cabin with us along with Rose and Caleb.

  “I had a vision, Derek,” Vivienne said, her forehead creased with worry.

  “But why are you here? I told you to stay away. Why couldn’t you call me? You left with one of the charmed phones.”

  Vivienne’s cheeks flushed as she exchanged glances with her husband. I wondered why they looked so embarrassed all of a sudden, though I wasn’t left wondering long as Xavier replied, “That’s what we were going to do, but… uh… something happened to the phone.”

  “Huh?” Derek turned on Xavier. “What?”

  “We thought we’d lost it at first,” he said, “but after searching the apartment, we realized we’d… uh, been a little too hasty the night before out on the veranda. Long story short, we found the phone at the bottom of our pool.”

  Derek breathed out sharply in frustration, running a hand through his hair. “You should have taken a backup with you.”

  “Well, we didn’t. And we’re here now,” Vivienne said, sitting down on the couch and pulling her brother down with her. “I need to talk to you.”

  Everyone took seats around Vivienne and listened with bated breath as she began to tell us about her vision. She looked traumatized as she recounted it, as though she was reliving it all over again.

  “What do you think it means?” Derek asked.

  “I think it means we need to be prepared for an assault by the black witches,” she said, her breathing uneven. “We’ve suspected all along that this was what they were planning, but with their failure to keep hold of Rose… I think they’re just going to cut to the chase now.”

  My eyes travelled to Mona. The blood had drained from her face as she stared at Vivienne.

  “Prepare,” the witch murmured. “If they’re going to attack, I’m not sure there’s much we can do to prepare. The protection that’s around the island right now is the strongest that I’m capable of. If they…” Her voice trailed off as she swallowed hard. “Put it this way: if they bring all of their most powerful witches, there’s only so much pressure I’ll be able to stand before I break.”

  Derek stood up and began pacing up and down the room. “So we need to assume that they’ll break through within a few minutes, perhaps a few hours, of them launching an attack. Is that accurate?”

  “It’s impossible to say,” Mona said.

  “We need to call a meeting in the Great Dome with all the council members,” Derek said.

  “I’ll go gather them,” Kiev said. “I could do with the exercise.”

  Mona didn’t look happy about Kiev leaving, but he left the cabin before she could protest.

  “Our first priority is to protect our most vulnerable,” Derek continued. “Our humans. We’ll inform all of them of this threat we suspect is looming, and all those who wish to leave us will be shipped away. Those who wish to stand by us and weather the storm should be evacuated into the innermost chambers of the Black Heights. Then we’ll have to figure out how the rest of us can best prepare for their arrival.”

  “Their weakness is in their palms.” All eyes shot toward Caleb as he spoke. “Damage them, and they’re stripped of their powers—at least, temporarily.”

  “But after we injured Rhys,” Rose said, “I doubt they will fall for the same trick easily.”

  “Oh, not easily,” Mona said.

  “At least we have Corrine and Ibrahim returned to us,” I said. “After you, Mona, they’re our two most powerful witches.”

  “Their powers won’t be a lot of use against the likes of Rhys’ kind,” Mona replied. “Though of course, we need all the help we can get…”

  “Caleb and I can start alerting and rounding up the humans,” Rose said, shooting to her feet and catching Caleb by the hand. “As soon as we’re done, we’ll meet you in the Great Dome.”

  She didn’t wait for our answer. The two of them slipped out of the cabin, closing the door behind them. I considered going with them to help out, but I trusted my daughter could manage it with Caleb. Besides, Derek needed me by his side now.

  “Let’s head to the Dome,” he said. Everyone stood up and motioned to follow him out the door. But he stopped just as his hand closed around the handle. He turned round to look at Vivienne and Xavier. “I suppose the two of you weren’t away long enough to… accomplish what you set out for.”

  To my surprise, Vivienne’s and Xavier’s ashen faces lit up.

  Vivienne bit her lip, blushing. “You suppose wrong, Derek,” she said.

  Derek’s eyes widened. “A-Are you sure?” He moved closer to her, placing his hands on her shoulders.

  She nodded. “We’re both quite sure. You’re going to be an uncle.”

  Derek pulled Vivienne into an embrace, joy filling his eyes.

  “Oh, Viv!” I gasped.

  I hugged her once Derek had let go of her. Beaming, Derek slapped Xavier on the back. “Thank you, my friend,” he said. “You’ve just improved my day considerably.”

  Xavier grinned. “Really, Derek. The pleasure was all mine.”

  Chapter 9: Micah

  Once the conversation with Rhys had finished, I didn’t have long to decide on my next move. They were gathering vampires and witches to join them, that much I knew. But how exactly were they going to travel to The Shade? Would they just vanish themselves there or would they pile into vessels and travel? The latter made more sense to me. After all, the vampires would need some place to stand while the witches worked on penetrating Mona’s spell.

  But I couldn’t be sure. And I only had one shot at making it out of he
re with them. I couldn’t mess this up. So I bet on the latter, and began to race back down the mountain toward the island’s harbor with as much speed and stealth as I could manage.

  On reaching the jetty, I noticed several submarines that hadn’t been here when I’d left for the castle. I looked from the submarines to the boat I had travelled here on. A boat was clearly easier to escape from. If I got detected hiding in one of the submarines, I’d be trapped inside the metal container, whereas at least boats were above water and I could smash my way out without too much difficulty. But would they choose to take a boat over a submarine?

  I had no idea. As my body began to transform back into my humanoid form, the trees rustled behind me. I was running out of time. I didn’t have time to wait and see which vessels they chose, or I would end up being left behind. So I leapt into the nearest vessel to me—the yacht. I hurried down beneath the deck, hoping the witches had brought it back here because they intended to use it. I entered the bathroom and, closing the door behind me, slipped into the narrow closet beneath the bathtub where I’d hidden before.

  Now all I could do was wait.

  I breathed out a sigh of relief when footsteps sounded on the deck above. The yacht sank slightly as more and more people boarded the yacht. My breath caught in my throat as I heard people descending the stairs. I barely dared breathe as they passed outside the bathroom door.

  I was beginning to relax a little as the footsteps disappeared down the corridor when the doorknob rattled. I clasped my hands over my mouth and nose and remained deathly still, trying to avoid making even the slightest noise.

  The door creaked open and steps sounded on the floorboards a few feet away from me. There was a sharp burst of water as the tap turned on and off. Then cupboards began to open and close.

  “Roman,” a male voice called. There were more footsteps as another person entered the room. “Do you smell that?” he asked.

  The two men sniffed the air. “I smell… wolf.”

  Oh, no.

  I guessed that these must be vampires to sense me locked up in a cupboard… or perhaps they were sensing me when I’d stayed down here before, even in my wolf form. To my horror, the door of my closet banged as someone kicked against it. I gripped the handle and pulled it toward me, even though I had locked it. It was a flimsy lock by any standards, and wouldn’t last five seconds with any real pressure from a vampire.

  I grabbed the handle and pulled it toward me. He tugged again, harder. My grip loosened. One more tug from him, and it would pop right open.

  “What are you doing down here?” a shrill female voice called. It sounded like Julisse. “Everyone is supposed to be above deck.”

  The vampire trying to break into my cupboard loosened his grip and stepped back.

  “Why do we smell wolf, Julisse?”

  “Because there was a wolf traveling on this boat with the Novak girl before we hijacked it,” she said impatiently.

  I thanked my stars as they all left the bathroom and closed the door behind them. A few minutes later, I found myself once again being slammed about in the cabinet as the yacht began traveling at supernatural speed.

  We just need to get beyond the boundary, and then I can get away from these people.

  There was no window in this bathroom that I could smash, but there were windows in the bedrooms a few doors along. I just needed to dart in there undetected, smash through, and escape. Somehow, I was confident that I’d manage it. I just had to hope that nobody else would come down here in the meantime. And that, once I did escape, I’d be able to reach The Shade in time to at least warn the people there what was happening… not that I was sure there was much we could do about it even if I did manage to reach the island in time.

  Chapter 10: Rose

  Caleb and I quickly reached the Vale’s town square. Jumping off his back, I gripped the ladder leading up to the bell tower that stood in the middle of the ornamental fountains and started to climb. I arrived at the top and grabbed the rope attached to the huge metal bell. I tugged on it as hard as I could. My eardrums stung as the bell’s ringing pierced the air. I kept ringing until the square was packed with humans who’d hurried out of their homes.

  I lowered myself a little, stepping down from the bell, but remained high enough on the ladder so I could take in the whole crowd. There were many more humans who weren’t here yet, of course. But with the help of everyone here, we’d be able to quickly gather everyone together if they listened.

  “I’m sorry for the disturbance,” I shouted down as loud as I could, my voice echoing around the square as the humans’ anxious eyes fixed on me. “But The Shade is in grave danger. My father is expecting an attack by the black witches any time now. By now, you should all be aware of the power and ruthlessness of these witches. We still don’t know what they want with us, but if they manage to break through Mona’s spell, it’s safe to assume that nobody will be safe. With this in mind, each and every one of you must decide if you still wish to remain in The Shade.” I paused, resting my voice for a few seconds, my throat dry from shouting. “Here’s what needs to happen. First and foremost, I need you to help me gather every single human on this island and bring them to the clearing outside the main entrance to the Black Heights. Once you do this, we’ll give you time to decide whether you want to leave, or stay with us and weather the storm. But until then, I need your help.”

  People began to shout questions up at me, but now wasn’t the time for answers. Not yet.

  “Guys, please,” I bellowed, my voice straining from the pressure. “First do as I’ve requested. Direct everyone to the clearing—bring with you only your most valuable possessions. I’ll expect everyone there no later than an hour from now. Please, don’t be late.”

  I was relieved when they obeyed. The crowd dispersed quickly, and I climbed back down toward Caleb. I leapt onto his back again and wrapped my arms around his neck.

  “We need to help in herding them all,” I said, breathing heavily.

  Caleb and I spent the next hour speeding around the island, doing our best to make sure no human was left behind. As the hour was drawing to a close, we headed toward the clearing. I was relieved to see it teeming with humans. There were so many here, not all of them even fit in the large clearing. Many found themselves being pushed into the shade of the forest. I took in a deep breath as Caleb and I made our way through the crowd toward the entrance of the Black Heights. Caleb climbed up the side of the mountain, high enough so that we were clearly visible to everyone who’d gathered here.

  The sheer mass of people here was daunting to my already hoarse throat. I wasn’t used to this. I needed a loudspeaker or something…

  Caleb seemed to sense my hesitation. “What is it you want to say to them exactly?” he asked.

  “I need to explain again about the black witches, for those who didn’t hear it. And then tell them that they have twenty minutes to make a decision whether or not to leave The Shade. Those who wish to leave should remain here in the clearing, while those who wish to stay should walk through the entrance into the Black Heights.”

  Caleb nodded, and then his deep voice began booming across the clearing, explaining what I’d just told him. I was shocked at how loud his voice was.

  After he’d finished, predictably, the crowd broke out in questions again.

  “We don’t have time to answer everyone’s questions one by one,” I said, my stomach clenching at all the fearful faces. “We’re going to have to just answer some general ones, and hope that satisfies most people. Firstly, explain how they will leave The Shade.” I had to pause for a moment to think of this answer myself. I didn’t know how my father was planning to handle this, so I told Caleb what I thought was most logical. “We have witches who can help with that. We’ll send those who want to leave out with a group of witches. Their memories will be erased. They will have no recollection of their time spent in The Shade, but they’ll be left with enough money to last them until they’re rein
tegrated into society.”

  Caleb nodded and, once again, acted as my mouthpiece.

  The crowd murmured amongst themselves at his words.

  “Next,” I continued, “tell them we don’t know how long they will need to remain within the mountains, because we don’t know exactly when the witches will come. For all we know, it could be days, or it could be weeks. But Vivienne suspects it will be sooner rather than later. So at least for now, we have to play things safe. Food and water will be provided in ample quantity, so they need not worry about this.”

  Once Caleb had finished explaining, I said, “Finally, tell them if anyone wishes to take this as an opportunity to turn into a vampire, they can. Those who wish to do this should head immediately to the Vale, and we’ll arrange for a mass turning.”

  Hopefully, my parents would be all right with this. I just felt like we ought to offer them this option, given the danger we were now up against.

  The crowd seemed satisfied with the answers we’d provided for now, and the next twenty minutes everyone spent discussing among themselves. I felt bad forcing them to make such life-changing decisions within minutes, but none of us knew how much time we had, and we couldn’t afford to have our humans caught out in the open if there was a sudden attack as Vivienne was fearing.

  As twenty minutes came to a close, people began hurrying into the entrance. I caught sight of Anna passing by us, holding baby Kiev in her arms, while Kyle walked by her side. Ariana and Jason, although vampires, followed behind them.

  “Kyle,” I said, “Would you manage the doors? You know where the keys are stored?”

  “Of course, Princess,” he replied.

  “You’re human too, Rose,” Anna said, looking up at me with concern. “You should also get yourself inside.”

  I shook my head. “Not yet, Anna.”

  She threw me a pleading gaze before entering the mountain with her family. Humans continued to pile into the entrance for the next half an hour, and by the time the crowd had completely dispersed—although I’d caught sight of a handful heading toward the Vale—I was shocked to see not a single human had remained in the clearing. Not even Yasmine’s family.